The best story of the 2024 NFL Playoffs has undoubtedly been the run of the Detroit Lions, who after years of being a laughingstock of the league, are preparing to play in the NFC Championship game and are looking to advance to their first-ever Super Bowl.
The Lions have won the hearts of football fans for a multitude of reasons, and they may have picked up a few NC State fans along the way as well. That’s because starting on Detroit’s defensive line is none other than Pack Pro Alim McNeill, who played for the Wolfpack from 2018-2020 and has been making his presence felt in the league over the last three years.
During his time at NC State, McNeill amassed 77 tackles, 10 sacks and one memorable interception that he took to the house for a pick-six in the 2020 season. He was the 72nd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, selected in the third round by Detroit, where he began his career under new Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell. Since entering the league, McNeill has recorded 112 tackles and eight sacks.
His alumni status is enough reason for any NC State fan to pull for McNeill and the Lions, but beyond that, McNeill should have the entire city of Raleigh behind him. McNeill is a Raleigh native himself, graduating from Sanderson High School, and always makes sure to give love to the Spartans and his hometown.
Before he was wreaking havoc for NFL quarterbacks, McNeill was an unstoppable force in high school. Between the 2015-17 seasons, McNeill racked up 215 tackles and 18 sacks, leading Sanderson to its two best seasons in school history in 2016 and 2017 in which the Spartans hosted a state playoff game for the first time ever — in back-to-back seasons, no less.
Not only was McNeill nightmare fuel on the defensive side of the ball, but he was just as menacing on offense, scoring 18 rushing touchdowns and three receiving scores in his career. On top of that, McNeill was a two-sport athlete, also making a name for himself on the Sanderson baseball team.
While he received offers from schools such as Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and Alabama, McNeill kept it in the 919 by committing to play for head coach Dave Doeren and NC State on Nov. 4, 2017, following in the footsteps of his high school teammate, tight end Trent Pennix, who had committed several months earlier.
After impressing for three seasons under Doeren and Co., McNeill went pro and has since been part of an unprecedented three-year turnaround for the Lions, going from a 3-13 record in 2021 to playing for a spot in the Super Bowl this season.
During the Lions’ playoff run, fans have noted how McNeill introduces himself by saying his name and Sanderson High School when introducing himself on games broadcast on NBC rather than saying NC State. It is customary for players to say the name of the college they went to, but McNeill has made it clear that he means no disrespect to NC State; he just wants to give a shoutout to where it all started.
It isn’t often that one gets to see a homegrown talent from their hometown get to compete for a chance to play on the biggest stage in American sports, but that’s what Raleigh has this year with McNeill. Whether you hold your allegiance to any of Raleigh’s high schools — Millbrook, Broughton, Leesville Road, Enloe, Southeast Raleigh, Wakefield or Athens Drive — everyone in the capital city can come together to support one of their own.
That’s not even to mention NC State fans, who always support their Pack Pros. When the Lions take the field this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, McNeill could very well have an entire school, an entire city and perhaps an entire state behind him in support.
And who knows — if the Lions do end up raising the Lombardi Trophy for the first time ever, maybe they’ll let McNeill bring it back home to Raleigh: where it all started.
